‘Elephants are losing their habitat’
India’s Elephant Man, Dr Raman Sukumar, talks to Jangveer Singh about his effort to tackle the elephant-human conflict

Vanwasi as his mother called him or the Elephant Man as he is known worldwide, Dr Raman Sukumar, Head, Centre for Ecological Sciences, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore has done the country proud yet again. Winner of the Whitley Gold award, 51-year-old Sukumar has now been awarded with the 2006 International Cosmos Prize which aims at a harmonious co-existence of nature and humans. India’s Elephant Man gets the prize for his achievements in the field of ecology and conservation biology in the Western Ghats of south-western India. His research is on the ecological relationships between humans and elephants and the resolution of conflicts between them. He speaks about his work and passion, frustrations and hope for a better future for the Indian elephant.

Dr Raman Sukumar: Winner of International Cosmos Prize

Depletion of forest cover is endangering elephants in India

My interest in nature developed when I was in high school. I grew up in Madras and used to frequently visit the nearby Guindy forest. In 1979, I enrolled as a PhD student under Madhav Gadgil. It was during discussions on various research options that he spoke of how no one had studied the elephant-human conflict. The issue struck an immediate chord and I was hooked on the subject.

Many people had studied elephants in Africa and Sri Lanka but nobody had studied the interaction between elephants and humans. My work resulted in the introduction of wildlife-human conflicts as a topic of study. The Cambridge University published my thesis in the form of a book. It also helped to lay the founding of a methodology and baseline for further study of elephants in India.

I helped design the country’s first biosphere reserve after joining the faculty of the IISc. I was involved in field surveys, identifying areas which needed to be protected as core reserves and earmarking places where tourism could be promoted. The long-term biosphere programme focused on conservation of biodiversity, reconciling development with conservation and establishing a long-term research programme to aid in these efforts.

Elephants in India are facing a fragmentation in their habitat. Once the habitat gets fragmented the elephant population becomes unviable. Elephants have lost their habitat in the North-East in Assam and Meghalaya because of clearing of forests which is in the hands of village communities. In Jharkhand and Orissa the habitat has suffered due to mining. In the South it is relatively stable.

Some of us have got together to form the Asian Nature Conservation Foundation (ANCF). This, in league with the Union government and Wildlife Trust of India, has widened two corridors in Bandipur and Kollegal forest divisions and one at Bhramagiri in Kerala. The ANCF has identified the need for creating or widening 40 more corridors in South India and 60 in other parts of the country. We are also trying to map details of distribution of elephants through ground surveys using satellite imagery. Critical links are being examined and ways and means are being looked into to resettle people so that the corridors are strengthened.

We are trying to create barriers between the elephants and the crop fields. In Kerala, we have started an experiment by making use of electric fences. In West Bengal, we are experimenting with an early warning system under which an electronic collar is strapped on notorious elephants so that their movements can be tracked. A new method being tried is use of a chilly mixture to keep elephants away from crops. Elephants have a keen olfactory sense and are averse to the smell of chillies.

The slow pace of conservation is a problem. We know what has to be done but the system is such that taking everyone along takes a very long time. I would like conservation to be achieved at a faster pace. We do not have the luxury of waiting for too long.

I take these things in my stride. The award translates into recognition for the community of Indian wildlife biologists and this attention will help the science to grow.